2019: A RUBICON FOR DEVELOPMENTAL REASONING

Like Marc Antony, I have come to grittily heed the calling to proclaim the gospel according to Good Sense, that we may rebuild Nigeria, not by reincarnating the lamentations of Prophet Jeremiah of how the edifice called Nigeria has fallen but to stimulate a consciousness that puts our collective choices, reasoning and actions on trial as we approach Nigeria's defining year of 2019. To every patriotic mind, 2019 represents a great potential to give hope that revitalizes the inclusive Nigerian project - a year to end the unabating sponsored crises against our collective progress; a time for positive sentiments to triumph over "policapitalism", ethno-religious and other negative sentiments that have characterized and veiled our political culture for decades. Given our developmental deficiency, it will be a historic sucide to allow our politicians to freely entertain us in 2019 with their blank-blind electoral promises that lack content and execution merits. As the game of thrones ahead of the 2019 general elections dramatically unfolds, a concerned citizen is compelled to remind "we the people" of our immutable duty to elect only credible leaders that can guarantee the kind of inclusive development and progress we all aspire for.

Woe betide us if we continue to sit on the revered bench of complaints and lamentations and expect miraceous shift in our national affairs. The solutions to our compounding challenges cannot be offered on the table of free lunch; it will be achieved in the field of constructive and positive participation of the people, for deliberate reordering of our developmental and integration templates. 2019 will be our litmus test for viable solutions, alternative options and a moment for a definite definition of our inclusive development roadmap.

We must abide by the wisdom of accepting political candidates based on their credentials of competence and capacity to deliver the dividends of development and innovative leadership for the common good of the people. We must scrutinize every line of their campaign manifestos, demanding of them how they intend to actualize each item on the slate, the proposed realistic timeframe for it's actualization, it's sustainablity and impact on our development. This is no time for such vague mantra of "chnage", "transformation", "restructuring" and other facsimile political rhetoric. We must compel our prospective leaders to articulate broad visions for pulling Nigeria out of the development quagmire that we have remained stagnanted for years. We must go beyond the ceremonial Presidential debate in Abuja - corporate bodies and credible citizens of influence must support the All Times Media's plan to host a NIGERIAN UNIVERSITIES PRESIDENTIAL POLICIES DEBATE in some Nigerian universities.

Whoever will be our President in 2019 must have crystal and defined socio-economic policy plan that is deep, enduring, achievable and in the best development interest of Nigeria. He or she must understand the urgency in solving the economies of our underdevelopment and the development of our economy; with a political philosophy that can shape the Nigerian Dream; he must appreciate that we cannot grow without building our technology; that we lack reliable data for sustainable development projections and planning; that we must rework our governance structure to allow State Governments to harness and utilize their natural resources for local development; that a clean, affordable and stable power supply is a sine qua non for Nigeria's economic growth; that we must reform our educational system to produce solution-providers as graduates; that our justice system must accord justice to all citizens equally in good time; that our civil service must be re-branded for service and productivity; that we must properly fund and monitor our begging police force; that we must unite this house on the brink of breaking amongst other things that must aptly change in order to modernize Nigeria.

We do not need "omniscience" leaders - not a President that will promise all and do none but a leader with targeted areas of focus for impact: nothing stops a Nigerian President from focusing on just power sector alongside other delaying distractions that the Presidency affords. By so doing, we would celebrate a Presidency that solved our power and energy problem. From our local communities to federal constituencies, the people must summon the courage and fortitude to enthrone meritocracy and shun every temptation to mortgage the future of our children. Let's inject new and competent leaders with workable ideas, development innovations and uncommon penchant for excellence in development-solution leadership. It will be a repeated historic mistake to accept the wrong fate that in a country of an inaccurate population of over 170 million intelligent people, only two men have the capacity and integrity to provide quality leadership to our ailing country.

Let history remember us for once that we stood up in bold patriotism against the unhealthy practice of recycling unproductive and old leaders. Let's be deliberate in ushering a humane and sustainable leadership across Nigeria that can sacrifice all in perpetuating a prosperous and safe nation. It is about our health care system, education, clean environment, technological advancement, efficient public Service, functional institutions and quality leadership, not money, not ethnicity, not my religion nor is it ever about our political parties, we must get it right as a nation this time around.

But the true measure of our responsibility as constructive citizens and positive participants starts after the election - we must develop a new culture that questions the governance process of our communities; we must thrive by holding our leaders accountable, responsible and transparent. Exercising the right and power of assessing those we hired to procure the dividends of leadership mandate gives us the defining opportunity to bring about the possibility of change and progress. In all our dealings with our leaders, let's do so with altruistic measure and estimate for our common and collective good.

We must start this journey of progress with the end success in mind. Constantly reminding ourselves that the anti-development officers of greed, nepotism and corruption are heavily armed along our progress path - unperturbed, we must fortify ourselves with the breastplate of consistency, excellence in innovation, resilience in promoting social Justice, and penchant for meritocracy. We will get to our destination only through the vehicle that is refilled with steady and continual work in progress.

When we cross the rubicon, we would have built a nation that provides world class tourism, globally envied institutions, quality educational system that attracts foreign students and scholars, technologies that contribute towards better humanity, social security that makes life easier and comfortable, and creates equal opportunities for all. At such moment, we would shun common sense and pick up a new pride and dignity in GOOD SENSE.

My ink is dry and the margins of my papers are filled, I am left with the only option to plead an end of this gospel according to Good
writes from Nigerian Law School, Abuja.